Paper towels are often stored as a continuous roll paper sheet, optionally perforated at regular intervals to define individual sections, and rolled into a cylindrical tube. The paper towel roll is housed in a container and dispensed by feeding the end of the roll through an opening, such as a slot. A user grasps the exposed end of the towel roll and pulls off a desired amount of towel or a predetermined segment of towel. In addition to the foregoing mechanical dispensers, there are electronic dispensers that may be actuated to unroll a predetermined, metered amount of paper towel for a user.
Unfortunately, existing paper towel dispensers have a number of shortcomings. First, the dispenser mechanisms used for dispensing paper towels can be complicated. For example, existing dispensers may include multiple mechanical and/or electrical moving parts that engage and rotate with the roll of paper towels during the dispensing of that towel during ordinary use. A potential danger is that the moving parts inside the dispenser may wear out or otherwise break during their regular duty lifetime. Therefore, it is necessary to either repair or replace the dispenser to fix the worn out or broken parts. At the very least, dispensers having multiple moving parts may inevitably require additional maintenance to keep them in proper working condition.
Additionally, dispensers may be specifically engineered for operation with a particular type or brand of hardwound paper towel. If a user installs an incorrect type of paper roll in the dispenser, then the overall operation of the dispenser can be degraded. This can led to premature repair or replacement of a dispenser or overall dissatisfaction with the dispenser. Therefore, product dissatisfaction can result even though it is the fault of the user who installs the improper roll of paper towel in the dispenser that causes potential problems with use.
Finally, the ordinary and routine replacement of paper towel rolls within a dispenser can be complicated depending on the particular roll holder mechanism deployed within the dispenser. If there are moving parts and complicated latching mechanisms, then it is therefore easier for maintenance personnel to inadvertently damage or destroy a dispenser mechanism.